Monday, May 08, 2006

Hedera, handspun, happy yarn serendipity!

I am the lucky, lucky winner of a $100 gift certificate to Make 1 Yarn Studio, from the draw for Warming Grace! omigoshomigoshomigosh. I don't even know where to start, looking over their in stock list, I am just, yeah. I have no idea. For like 10 minutes I was convinced I needed a drop spindle, but I think that will be a bad choice around these parts, at least until baby boy decides to "learn some decency." :)

And almost as cool as an unexpected $100 yarn spree... (not as cool cos I was waiting for it so hard!)-- handspun sock yarn. Yup.

The sock yarn will be toe up, devising a simple stockinette pattern using Simple Socks: Plain and Fancy by Priscilla Gibson-Roberts... I want to go toe up to get as much of a sock out of this yarn as I can :) ... and stockinette to really let the yarn show off. I think I'll echo the socks Alison did for her sockapaloooza pal and work a cable up the back of the leg... have to break out the stitch pattern books to find *the one* :)

The Waratah yarn was going to be a hat, but... I really suck at hats. Really really. And it is soooo soft, it needs to be a scarf or something I can cuddle-- I was thinking a DNA scarf, (no neck ribbing, just working the cable)... though I don't have a lot and I'm not sure it will be enough. Really though, I may be content to just let it sit here in my knitting in-box and drag it out every once in a while to let sit on my shoulder and rub my cheek :) (It smells good, too!)

I'm at the gusset decreases, and have worked the pattern as written except for picking up the stitches at the sides of the heels-- now, I always pick up the back loop of the slipped stitch with a seperate needle and then knit that loop tbl. So I've done that, *and* I've knit the following stitch round tbl as Cookie directs in her pattern, makes a cool twist at the side (I'll post a pic of that next time, easier when I've gotten further on the foot).

This is a really neat pattern. The twisted rib stitch really makes the delineation between the lace panels stand out, without becoming part of the pattern itself...

I love how its used in both this pattern and Pomatomus; it always is so tight looking, and really stands out (literally).

Also, I think its cool how the heel is worked:

Next Row [WS]: Sl 1, [p1, sl 1] to end.Next Row [RS]: K all sts.

It creates a slipped stitch on the beginning and the end of the WS, instead of staggering the slipped stitches like most heel flaps are worked. I was reminded of Jason's post about the different placements of heel flap selvages when working the heel... I have always worked the staggering slips on heels, and don't really notice a difference, but its something *novel* which I love. (Can anyone can tell me a practical, non-aesthetic reason a non-staggered heel is best? I could imagine there is a tiny twist and non-evenness, but I've never noticed anything...)

I've used the CTH Supersock before, this yarn too (I bought an endlot from ebay ages ago)... but I don't remember having the pooling. I don't mind, but there you go-- Cherry Tree Hill supersock pooling (I like to say, "spiraling") at a 60 stitch cast on when using US 1.5's :)

Also, I *still* haven't looked over the PGR bazaar sock pattern (PDF!!) from Summer 2006'sInterweave Knits-- but I saw that its sized for a women's 7-8, but with a 7.5" foot circumference. Eh? Pic shows kids wearing the socks... dunno, weird. My foot is too wide for the pattern, and baby bear's is too slight (I think the circ is more appropriate for kids feet, right?) When I get it printed out I've got to figure out if there's a way to up or downsize it for one of us :)

Anywho. Back to Hedera and trying to decide what serendipity awaits at Make 1 Yarns for me... :)

Congratulations on the win! The Hederas are indeed lovely ... very nice pattern which shows well in the variegated yarn.

I saw that post over at Jason's as well. Personally, I don't think it matters. Socks are a spiral, and the spiral has to, well, spiral someplace, so why not the heel. It will be interesting to read your thoughts when you put these socks on as to whether you can tell a difference.

Re Hedera heel pattern. The only reason I have for slipping on the purl side is because I'm soooo much slower at purling, so I like to do all the slipping on that side and leave all the fast knitting on the other side.

I can't visualize this right now, but I didn't think there was a difference between

slip last stitch as if to purl, turn work, work first stitch (k or p, depending on side)

vs.

work last stitch (k or p, depending on side), turn work, slip first stitch as if to purl